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Railways were essential to carrying out the Holocaust – decades later, corporate reckoning continues

The Holocaust could not have happened without the railways.

The Conversation · Apr 16, 2025

Why does Putin insist Ukranians and Russians are ‘one people’? The answer spans centuries of colonisation and resistance

Russian president Vladimir Putin does not seem interested in peace: Sunday’s missile strike on Sumy, the worst civilian attack this year, proves he is determined to expand into Ukraine at any cost.

The Conversation · Apr 15, 2025

A Roman governor ordered Jesus’ crucifixion – so why did many Christians blame Jews for centuries?

It’s a straightforward part of the Easter story: The Roman governor Pontius Pilate had Jesus of Nazareth killed by his soldiers. He imposed a sentence that Roman judges often inflicted on social subversives – crucifixion.

The Conversation · Apr 11, 2025

Taking a leap of faith into imaginary numbers opens new doors in the real world through complex analysis

To a nonmathematician, having the letter “i” represent a number that does not quite exist and is “imaginary” can be hard to wrap your head around. If you open your mind to this way of thinking, however, a whole new world becomes possible.

The Conversation · Mar 10, 2025

Butterflies declined by 22% in just 2 decades across the US – there are ways you can help save them

If the joy of seeing butterflies seems increasingly rare these days, it isn’t your imagination.

The Conversation · Mar 6, 2025

‘A miracle of Western tenacity’: how 10 million refugees found homes after World War II

A disaster. That was the fitting word for the Europe that emerged immediately after 1945, covered in soot from cities turned to ashes. Life had collapsed.

The Conversation · Mar 5, 2025

How ‘muscular Christianity’ strove to bring men back to religion – and what it can teach us today

Most people recognise organisations such as the YMCA and the Boy Scouts, or events such as the Modern Olympic Games, summer camps and wilderness retreats.

The Conversation · Feb 28, 2025

Butchers, bakers, candlestick-makers − and prostitutes: The women working behind the scenes in papal Avignon

In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent. On the other extreme were a few dramatic examples of women who made history for the church…

The Conversation · Feb 25, 2025

500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility

Five hundred years ago, in the winter of 1524-1525, bands of peasants roamed the German countryside seeking recruits. It was the start of the German Peasants’ War, the largest uprising in Europe before the French Revolution. The peasants’ goal was to overturn serfdom and create a fairer society grounded on…

The Conversation · Feb 25, 2025

Making sex deadly for insects could control pests that carry disease and harm crops

Insects do a lot more harm than ruining picnics. Some insects spread devastating diseases, while others cause staggering economic losses in agriculture. To control some of these pests, scientists are developing males that make sex a deadly event.

The Conversation · Feb 21, 2025